People carry many different items. For example, people generally carry a wallet or money clip. Many people also carry a pocket knife or key chain having a bottle cap opener. It would be desirable to reduce the number of items people need to carry.
Others have developed combination money clips and bottle openers. For example, one combination is shown in U.S. Pat. No. D409,464, issued to Garza on May 11, 1999. The Garza combination uses a loop-shaped cap opener formed on one end of a money clip. The interior of the loop-shape includes a projection or tab that, in use, is inserted beneath a cap to pry it off a bottle. Unfortunately, because the loop is fairly large (wider than the width of a typical bottle cap), a user's finger can be caught in it, particularly when reaching into a pocket. Further, it can snag on other items such as clothing, keys, or the like. Similar designs, having similar deficiencies, are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,267,052, and 4,923,392 issued on May 21, 1918 and May 8, 1990, respectively.
Other combination money clips and bottle openers have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. D144,839 and D171,311, issued May 28, 1946 and Jan. 19, 1954, respectively, show combinations which provide a cap opener formed on one end of a money clip. Unfortunately, the designs suffer in that they provide a narrow surface as a base from which to pry a cap off. This can, in some situations, make it difficult to open a bottle. Further, because the designs are formed on an end of the clip, they can snag on other items or cause injury when reaching into a pocket.
It would be desirable to provide an improved combination money clip and bottle cap opener.